Say Anything - I Don’t Think It Is Album • Page 8

Lol, I mean if you're gonna put a gun to my head...

Say Anything is a Real Boy
Say Anything
I Don't Think It Is
In Defense of the Genre
Anarchy, My Dear
Hebrews

 

Probably in the minority of enjoying every single SA album, but I'll rank for fun...

IARB > ST > In Defense > Hebrews > IDTII > Anarchy > old stuff

 

IARB > Hebrews > Defense > ST > Anarchy > IDTII

Only one thats slightly difficult is Hebrews/Defense.

 

IARB > Defense > Hebrews > Self-Titled > Anarchy > IDTII

For me, I enjoy a lot of pre-IARB stuff still. I just want punky melodic pleasant sounding neurotic Max. His Mewithoutyou impression is bad, IMO. I enjoyed every album but hated IDTII.

 

Is a Real Boy - In Defense of the Genre - Say Anything - I Don't Think It Is - Anarchy, My Dear - Hebrews

 

IARB > SA > In Defense >>>> Hebrews > Anarchy >>>>>>>>>> IDTII

 

IARB
Hebrews
S/T
Defense
IDTII
Anarchy

 

IARB
S/T
In Defense
Hebrews
Anarchy







IDTII

 

mewithoutYou impression?

 

Menorah/Majorah ep
S/T
IARB

IDOTG
Hebrews
Anarchy
Baseball

IDTIS

 

Just a critique of IDTII. Maybe a little stretch but I felt the new album was just spoken word not singing harsh sounding crap. I call it that his mewithoutyou impression. It's probably a joke only I understand.

 

It just sounds nothing like mewithoutYou at all and I don't think he was trying to sound like that band. It's just a random weird comparison.

 

There's lots of spoken word and harsh uncute sounding vocals. I think it makes sense but I don't need you to.

 

I mean, he's right tho



that's a reach for sure

 

I Don't Think It Is, :)

 

In Defense of the Genre > Say Anything > Hebrews > ...Is a Real Boy > Anarchy, My Dear > I Don't Think it is

 

IARB>IDTII>IDotG>>Hebrews>Say Anything>>>>>>>>>>>Anarchy

 

So, does anybody else have a hard time making out the intention behind some IDTII lyrics? It seems that he's attempting to make some political or social message, but it seems kind of jumbled or confused to me at points. I know the lyrics were mostly off the cuff or unrehearsed, but even the overall message seems to change for me on different listens. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like he wasn't entirely sure of what stance to take.

 

And to me that's pretty emblematic of Say Anything in general. I'm not sure I've ever really gleaned one solid message out of anything Max has written, and perhaps that's why I've related to it. I know some found the lyrics on IDTII particularly grating or silly, but I didn't find it all that different from what he's been writing all along.

The only real album of Max's I have a problem with is the only one that felt like a weak imitation of the album before it, and that is Anarchy, My Dear. Every other album took a steadfastly new direction from the previous one. I don't even overly enjoy Hebrews, but at least it was different. Anarchy, My Dear was so damn wallpaper.

 

I think Max's lyrics have been pretty clear in the past honestly, even when they were a bit weird. I'm not sure I got much of anything out of most of IDTII.

 

IARB

 

I agree, that for the most part, the intent behind even the most "esoteric" of Max's lyrics have been fairly clear. Songs like "Signal the Rifleman," "Property," "Judas Decapitation" all seem pretty straightforward with their messages. "Rum," on the other hand, doesn't. I don't know if there even is a "message" to the album or if there are just recurring themes. For every bad lyric on the album, I'd say there's at least one good one, but it feels a little more confused than others--which I would attribute to its spontaneous nature.

 

For those interested in why this record (and Two Tongues Two) sound the way they do, I just launched an interview series about the relationship between artists and writers and Max is the first person I spoke to. There's some information about the next Say Anything album in there, too. Thanks in advance for checking it out and feel free to share: I Don’t Think They Do w/ Max Bemis – Aaron Mook – Medium

 

I read this last night and I'm going to revisit this album today. I was never a hater, but after the initial excitement of a new SA record wore off, I haven't really gone back to it very often.

 

I'm still gathering my thoughts after revisiting the album to prepare for this interview. I re-read a lot of the stuff Max wrote in conjunction with the record's release about it being an empowerment record for people with anxiety and I think I at least understand that a lot more now, which lends to me enjoying the album a bit more than I did.

Thanks for reading!